Wire fence



(No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

' T. I. RUSHTON.

4WIRE FENCE.

No. 409,242. PgLQtented Aug. 20, 1889.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2..

T. I. RUSHTON.

WIEE FENCE. No. 409,242. Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

1f' 1 lV liv r Q V l wie 1f* l M E? alunni 0 L A f-r5== g N L OJ Qa al Q# V i 7b @v IMU! l @gu 711245 @WC1/nego n mins. vmmlimogmpher, wasmngxo", n. c

(No Model.) i 3 sheets-sheet s. T. I. RUSHTON WIRE FENCE.

No. 409,242. Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

WIA

jhonn I, Wer/57111179 33H3. 747,015 @Moz/nego THOMASI. RUSHTON, OF CENTRE vVALLEY, INDIANA.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,242, dated August 20, 1889.

Application tiled February 14, 1889. Serial No. 299,836. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known, that I, THOMAS I. RUsH'1ON,a citizen ot the United States,residing at Centre Valley, in the county of Hendricks and State `of Indiana, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Vire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire fences; and it consists in a certain novel construction and combination of devices fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying' drawings, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a fence embodying my improvements, and showing a corner-post, a gate-post, and an intermediate post. Fig. 2 is an end View, partlyin section, of the corner-post. Fig. 3 is a side View of the intermediate post, which is provided with means to guide the wire around a curve or over uneven ground. Fig. t is a detail view of the stay. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the lower braces. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the inclined braces. Fig. 7 is a sectional View of the upper end of the gate-post, to show the manner of attaclr' ing the gate-hinge thereto. view of one of the clips which are used to secure the hinge to the post. Fig. 9 is a view of the intermediate post, provided with the horizontally-disposed spools to guide the wire over uneven or hilly ground. Fig. 110 is a plan View of the corner-post.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A des` ignates the gate-post, which consists ot the stock B, provided on opposite sides with feet l) l), which bear on the surface of the ground and are coincidentwith the line of the fence. Vertical side straps C C are bolted to opposite sides of the said stock and are provided at their lower ends with the laterally-extending feet c c at right angles to the feet b l). The feet b and c are held firmly down on the surface of the ground bythe anchors D D, which are driven in the ground on opposite sides thereof, and are provided with shoulders to bear thereon.

Transverse bolts E E are arranged in registcring-apertures in the parallel straps O O, and are engaged at their projecting ends by suitable tighteningmuts, and winding-spools F F Fig. 8 is a detail are rigidly attached to the intermediate points of the said bolts and bear at their ends against the inner sides of the straps. One end of each of the said spools is provided with a 4ratchet f, which is engaged by a pawl f. One end of the bolt is squared, to be engaged by a wrench, to enable the spool to be turned.

Flanged clips G G are arranged on opposite sides of the gate-post, and the hinge G is provided with a threaded shank, which extends through registering-perforations in the clips andis engaged at its free end by a suitable nut. The shank is provided with a shoulder g to bear against the outer clip.

The lower brace H consists of the horizontal portion 7L, the vertical standard h', which is integral with one end of the horizontal porj tion, and the foot 7b2, which bears on the surface of the ground. The other end of the horizontal portion of the lower brace extends between the side straps of the post, and is bent downward to form a depending arm h3, which is bolted to the outer side of the stock.

inclined braces l I are arranged on opposite sides of the line of the fence, and are bolted at their upper ends respectively to the straps C C and at their lower ends toopposite sides of the upper end of the standard h. These braces are shouldered on their inner sides, as shown at ifi, to bear against the edges of the straps and standard.

The construction of the corner-post correspends exactly with that of the post above described except that the former is provided with lower and inclined braces on all four sides in line with the main and the intersecting fence, as shown clearly in the drawings.

Horizontal parallel plates K K are secured to the opposite sides of the corner-post and support winding-spools similar to those above described between their adjacent free ends, te which are attached the ends of the wires of the intersecting fence. These plates are provided on their inner or adjacent sides with shoulders 7e 7e, which bear against the outer sides of the straps C C, respectively, and a central bolt 7a engages central perforations in the plates.

Yokes L L, having winding-spools arranged between their adjacent free ends, are attached at their closed ends to the bolts 7e', which se- IOO cure the plates K K in position. These spools receive the wires which form the continuation of the main fence shown in the drawings.

The intermediate posts consist of the stock and the side straps arranged as described, said side straps being heldin position at their upper ends by the transverse bolt c.

Small guides or clevises M are arranged between the side straps, and tit at their closed and free ends, respectively, in shallow grooves c2 c2 in the inner sides of the straps, and a vertical rod N is arranged in registering-perforations m m in the guides or clevises, and is perforated at its upper end to receive the transverse bolt c. On this vertical rod, between the sides of the guides or clevises, are mounted the guidingspools O O, against which the wire bears in passing around a curve. The lower end of the rod N iits in a socket c3 in the upper end of the stock. In Fig. 9 these guides or clevises are removed and substituted by horizontally disposed guidingspools P P, over or under which the wire passes in hilly or uneven localities.

The intermediate posts are provided with braces Q Q, which are made in the form of a loop, the sides of which are connected near its free end by the transverse bar q. rlhe free ends of the loop are passed on opposite sides of the post and are bolted together, and the closed end of the loop is bolted to the foot of one of the vertical straps.

R designates a vertical stay which is arranged on the wires between the posts to hold them at the proper intervals, and it is provided on one side with lateral ears r r, provided with horizontal notches r', in which the wires are received. The ears are provided near their outer ends with vertical perforations, in which a vertical rod S is iitted, and the rod is locked in its place in the stay by a transverse key s, which engages its upper end. The vertical rod holds the wires in the notches of the ears.

The construction of the improved fence vwill be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description; but various minor changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

If preferred, the stocks may be driven in the ground in the ordinary way, and the lower ends of the posts driven in on opposite sides thereof and bolted to the stocks; but when constructed as above described the fence is stronger. A greater or less number of braces may be used according to the requirements and the location of the fence.

Instead of bolting the yokes L to the plates K, as hereinbefore described, the parallel arms thereof may be passed on opposite sides of the post, and abolt may be passed through the said arms and the post, for which purpose the said arms are provided with perforations Z Z.

The pawls f are pivoted above the ratchet f and their free ends are normally in engagement with the latter. No springs are used, as will be observed, and after the wire has been tightened sufficiently the nuts on the ends Yof the bolts E E are screwed tightly against the outer surfaces of the straps, thereby locking the spools against movement.

Having thus described the invent-ion, I claiml. The combination of the stock provided with horizontal feet, which are anchored to the surface of the ground, the vertical parallel side straps bolted to the stock and provided with horizontal feet bearing on the surface of the ground, and the winding-,spools arranged between the straps to receive the wire, substantially as speciiied.

2. The combination of' the vertical stock secured to the ground, the side straps bolted to the stock, the lower brace having a vertical standard bearing on the ground and a horizontal portion secured at its ends to the stock, and the inclined braces bolted at their upper ends to the side straps and at their lower ends to the lower brace, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the stock having side straps bolted thereto, the lower brace having a vertical standard provided with a foot which bears on the ground, and a horizontal portion which extends between the side straps, and is provided with a depending arm h3, which is bolted to the stock, and the inclined braces bolted to the side straps and the lower brace and provided with shoulders on their inner sides to engage the same, substantially as specied.

4. The combination, with the side straps having registering perforations, of the bolt inserted in said perforations and having one end angular to be engaged by a wrench, and provided with a tightening-nut on its other 'end adapted to be turned up against the side straps, the winding-spools secured rigidly on said bolts between the straps and having ratchet-wheels at their ends, and the pawls pivoted to the straps above the spools and engaging the ratchet-wheels, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the parallel side straps secured at their lower ends to a stock and having tightening-spools mounted therebetween, of the clips G G, arranged in contact with opposite sides of the straps, the hinge provided with a shouldered shank engaging perforations in the said clips, and the nut engaging the free threaded end of the said shank, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the vertical parallel straps having winding-spools arranged therebetween, and the braces connected to the said straps, of the horizontal plates bolted to opposite edges of the straps, and the wind ingspools arranged between the adjacent free ends of the plates to engage the ends of the wires of an intersecting fence, substantially as specified.

7. The combination, with a post comprising vertical parallel straps having winding-spools arranged therebetween to engage the fence- IOC IIO

wires, ot the transverse horizontal parallel plates K K, bolted to opposite sides of the post and provided at their extremities with winding-spools to engage the wires of the intersecting fence and the yokes L L, bolted to the centers of the plates K and having winding-spools arranged between their free ends to engage the wires of the main fence, substantially as speciiied.

8. The combination, with the posts provided with wire-streiching spools, of the intermediate post having the parallel vertical straps, and the clevises or guides arranged between the said straps to guide the wire, substantially as speciiied.

9. The combination, with the posts provided with wire-stretching spools, of the intermediate post having parallel side straps, and the guiding-spools arranged at suitable intervals between the straps to guide the wire around a curve or over uneven ground, substantially as specified.

10. The combination, with the posts provided with wire-stretching spools, of the intermediate posts having the parallel vertical straps provided with recesses c2 in their inner sides, the U-shaped clevises fitting in said recesses and the guiding-spools arranged in said elevises, as set forth.

11. The combination, with the posts provided with wire-stretching spools, of the intermediate post having parallel side straps secured at their lower ends to a stock, the transverse bolt connecting the upper ends of the said straps, the guides or clevises M M, arranged between the side straps and provided with vertical perforations, the vertical rod tting in the said perforations and perforated at its upper end to receive the said transverse bolt, and the loop-shaped brace Q, passing at its free ends on opposite sides of the straps and provided with a transverse bar to bear againstthe same, andthe bolt engaging the free ends of the brace, substantially as specified.

l2. The base for fence-posts, consisting of the stock B, and the metallic foot extending` horizontally from the upper end of the stock and having one end bolted to the stock and its other end resting on and anchored to the ground, as set forth.

13. The combination of the stock, the side straps bolted to the stock and having their lower ends bent horizontally outward therefrom, and ,the foot bolted to the stock and ex tending therefrom at right angles to the lower ends-of the side straps, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS I. RUSHTON.

lVitnesses:

EDGARH. RUsrrroN, LEVI J. RUsHToN. 

